Genealogy Workshop

The Halton-Peel Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and Heritage Mississauga invite you to attend a Genealogy Workshop featuring co-star of television’s "Ancestors in the Attic," Fawne Stratford-Devai on Saturday, September 8th, 2012 at The Grange, 1921 Dundas Street West, Mississauga.

The workshop will cover two sessions:

• Early Ontario Birth Marriage and Death Records

• Leaving Ontario – Resources for Tracking Migrants

Time: 10 am to 3 pm; Registration fee: $25. Space is limited. You must make your own accommodations for lunch.

For more information or to reserve space, please contact Heritage Mississauga at 905.828.8411 ext. 0 or email info@heritagemississauga.org.

Ontario’s British Home Child Day

Upper Canada Village in Morristown will hold the First Anniversary of Ontario’s British Home Child Day on Friday, September 28th.

This day will recognize the accomplishments of the more than 100,000 children sent to Canada from Great Britain from the 1860s to the 1930s. They worked as farm labourers and domestics in homes in Ontario and across Canada. A special emphasis will be placed on the Quarrier’s Homes, and a travelling museum exhibit from Ontario and Quebec will be showcased at this event.

A British Home Child Symposium/Information Session will also be held at the South Stormont Township Hall in Long Sault (close to Cornwall) on Saturday, September 29th from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This event will present a full day of exhibits, displays, speakers, and research information. Cost for attendance at this event is $10.00, which includes refreshments and attendance at the event.

If you wish more information, go to www.uppercanadavillage.com/index.cfm/en/home, or drop by their Ontario East British Home Child Family Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-East-British-Home-Child-Family/122254607880910.

I will be at both events, so I will see you there!

The Ottawa Genealogist

The summer issue of The Ottawa Genealogist has been published, and it is chock full of the latest news about the Ottawa Branch.

There are articles on "Frederick Alfred Weedmark and Susan (DeLorge) Fraser: The Mystery is Debunked", and "Your Introduction to GOONS!".

Photos and a write-up of "The Eighteenth Annual Historical Walking Tour of Beechwood " which was given to Edward Kipp, the editor of the newsletter.

The War of 1812 Timeline is in The Ottawa Genealogist, and an OGS Conference 2012 report which was held in Kingston this year is in the newsletter, as well as photos.

This newsletter is for members only, but if you want to become an member, go to www.ogs.on.ca, and click on Membership.

A Genealogical Day in Quebec: 1621-2012

A seminar will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire. It will be presented by Sharon Callaghan and Gary Schroder.

This seminar will examine the main sources used in Quebec genealogical research regardless of whether your ancestors originated from France, the British Isles, or any other part of the world.

They will explain church records, civil registration records, censuses, notarial records, ship lists, newspapers, land and judicial records. There will also be emphasis on the most important websites used in Quebec genealogical research and how to use the website and databases of the Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Québec.

The registration fee is $30.00 members, and $40.00 for non-members. Reservations are required.

Call 514.695.1502 or contact Jackie Billingham at qfhs.communications@bellnet.ca.

For more information, go to www.qfhs.ca

Toronto Family History Courses

Gwyneth Pearce has written to tell me that the Toronto Family History Branch of the OGS will have two new courses in October and November.

Basic Genealogy and Family History (3 Oct – 21 Nov)

This 8-session course is aimed at those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic research skills and will cover terminology, types of sources, the use of on-line resources, libraries and archives, including LDS Family History Centres, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.

Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara

Coming in Waves: British and Irish Emigration to Canada (7 Nov – 28 Nov)

Set within the context of an overview of British and Irish emigration to Canada in different eras, this new 4-session course will offer strategies for identifying and using emigration records from different periods effectively in genealogical research.

Instructor: James F.S. Thomson

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for Toronto Branch courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

And she says that they are planning an Irish Family History Workshop on Saturday 17 November 2012.

Sge says this will be a full-day workshop covering a comprehensive range of topics of interest to family historians with Irish research interests – details to come soon.

Ottawa Chapter has Fundraiser

The Bytown Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be hosting a fundraiser dinner on Sept 8 at 6:30 pm at the Museum of Civilization with Mr. Victor Suthren, who is the former Director General of the Canadian War Museum.

The topic of his talk will be “A Peaceful Place: The Wartime Origins of an Unwarlike Capitol”.

It will be $100.00 per ticket, and you can call Dorothy Meyerhof at 613.822.2946.

The deadline for registration is August 27, or until tickets are sold.

The proceeds from the dinner will go towards the DAR Bytown Chapter History Award given at Carleton University annually.

TONI Is Growing Everyday!

One of the best resources that a genealogist should check is the Ontario Genealogical Society’s TONI – The Ontario Name Index.

The Ontario Name Index (TONI) is a mega-index of names with the goal of including every name found in any publication relating to Ontario

Started in 2011 TONI is growing with new resources added every day!

There are already many names on the index. There is a low cost to download the information on the name(s) you have found,but the index itself is free to use!

To see how to use TONI, go to www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_database1.php

Hint: I still use the Ontario Genealogical Provincial Index at www.ogs.on.ca/ogspi/welcome.htm to compare information with TONI to make sure that I have all the information that I need.